The walls that protect us from landslides are at risk of crumbling
Greetings in the wonderful and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I write to appeal to you, our faithful supporters, for help to repair the retaining walls around the SBC campus. These walls have been protecting our aging buildings (the oldest was completed in 1968) from landslides for decades but are now at risk of crumbling.
It was in December 2018 that SBC was formally notified by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), after their structural inspection undertaken every five years, that our retaining walls are tilted and cracks have appeared on their surfaces. To buttress the walls temporarily and detect soil movement, metal rakers and struts and soil-movement monitors were installed. We were told to provide a permanent solution by 2020.
After long, ongoing sessions with BCA, structural engineers, and contractors, though our progress was heavily hampered by COVID-19 restrictions, we are now able to submit the proposed solution for repairing and strengthening our walls. Here are the key details:
- The estimated cost for the whole work, including consultancy and submission fees, is $400,000.
- Construction is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2021.
- The eventual impact of COVID-19 on construction cost and time is hard to estimate at this point.
I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to serve him in SBC. My journey with the College began in 2000, when I enrolled as a student in their newly launched Master of Arts programme, majoring on pastoral counselling. Upon graduation, I joined the SBC Alumni Sub-Committee, and now, I serve as a board member.
It has been a privilege and an association which is a growing and rewarding experience, as I serve alongside humble and dedicated servants of the Lord in carrying out SBC’s mission to glorify God by training faithful servants of Jesus Christ to edify the body of Christ and to make disciples of all nations.
I urge you, my family in Christ, to join me in ensuring that the SBC campus is a safe place for our students, faculty, and staff, so that we may fulfil SBC’s vision of nurturing servant leaders, integrative thinkers and effective communicators of God’s Word.
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
(2 Cor 9:8 NIV)
For more information regard to retaining walls, please refer here.
